30 Friends: Shin'ichi and Shiho
by RanMouri82
Summary: Thirty stories about a teenage detective and the syndicate scientist who shrank him. *Encrypted: To an outsider, it looks amazing.*
1. Compensation

**Title:** Compensation  
**Author:** RanMouri82  
**Friends:** Kudou Shin'ichi/Edogawa Conan and Miyano Shiho/Haibara Ai  
******Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #12—argument  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Spoilers:** File 724  
**Disclaimer:** Aoyama created Shin'ichi and Shiho. I'm a mere slave to their banter. (Published 8/26/2012)

The 30 Friends theme set comes from a defunct LiveJournal community (30_friends). Yet again,** Candyland**'s fic "30 Friends: Shinichi and Heiji" inspired me to tackle this lovely pair. Enjoy!

* * *

_Compensation_

"Sheesh, Haibara, that was low," whispered Conan as he squirmed on his inflamed rump. On the way back from the hot springs, the two teens were crammed in the middle of the Beetle's backseat between Mitsuhiko, who had insisted on sitting beside Ai, and Genta, who had insisted on riding in the back for a change. "If you were mad about that, you could've said something."

Still raw about Conan saying over and over, even in his deduction show, that her nudity did not matter, Ai narrowed her eyes at Conan, making him gulp. Though she had gained vengeful satisfaction by burning—and thereby exposing—his backside with chili powder, his superior attitude was making her threat level rise again. She hissed, "And why should I have to tell you to respect my body?"

"Did Conan-kun disrespect you, Haibara-san?" Mitsuhiko piped up, turning from where he gazed at passing cars on the highway. The kids were playing a travel game, but it was difficult to spy their current target of bright green cars.

Before Ai could give a sarcastic answer, however, Ayumi pointed past Professor Agasa's driver side window and squealed, "Look at that car! Hurry!"

Though the speeding car was the opposite of bright green, it was a sight to behold. The sleek, iron gray roadster zoomed past in seconds, its wide design catching the sunlight like a razor, making the children ooh and ahh. Even Agasa hummed his admiration and said, "That's a Lamborghini Murciélago. They're extremely expensive, but impressive."

"Hmph, what a waste," Conan said, as Genta finally yielded him breathing room by twisting toward the window to get a better look. "That model's gas mileage is terrible. No matter how rich you are, why would anyone flush their money down the toilet for a lemon like that?"

"Overcompensation," Ai said, turning a blank stare at Conan, who frowned.

"What does that mean, Ai-chan?" Ayumi said, blinking in the rear view mirror's reflection.

Conan muttered, "Watch it, Haibara."

"It's a person's attempt to cover up the fact that he sees himself as small and inadequate," Ai said, ignoring Conan even as he glared at her, "or at least as lacking in certain talents."

All three Detective Boys rubbed their chins in deep thought. Then, Genta clapped a fist on his meaty palm and shouted, "Oh! That's what Conan does, right?"

As Conan spluttered, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko nodded in vigorous agreement. Mitsuhiko cried, "I was thinking the same thing! He's always hurrying ahead of us to solve mysteries, so—"

"Hey, hey!" Conan flung his arms in opposite directions, trying to stop each boy.

"So that's why you always forget I'm the leader and act on your own," Genta said, looming over Conan and chortling. "I'm bigger than you."

Conan scowled and leaned his head back against his folded hands. "No, you're not."

"At present," said Ai, a sly smile spreading across her lips, "yes, he is."

Agasa cringed as, for one of the few times in his young neighbor's life, Kudou Shin'ichi was rendered speechless. While his face burned crimson and his vocal chords gave out, Miyano Shiho reached for a magazine and hummed a happy tune, satisfied that she had, at last, made her point loud and clear.


	2. Bind

**Title:** Bind  
**Author:** RanMouri82  
**Friends:** Kudou Shin'ichi/Edogawa Conan and Miyano Shiho/Haibara Ai  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #28—golden thread  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** Aoyama created Shin'ichi and Shiho. I'm a mere slave to their banter. (Published 8/30/2012)

_Bind_

_Kudou Shin'ichi  
16  
Student, 2nd Year, Teitan High School  
Consulting Detective, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department_

This last entry, under _Secondary Occupation_, made Miyano Shiho frown at the picture on her laboratory terminal's glowing screen. She had returned from the detective's house with the investigation teams an hour ago, but as twilight waned into deep, black night, she began to dread her current task. There was something about Kudou's cocky grin that disarmed her. Gin and Vodka had—regardless of her wishes—given him APTX 4869. He should be dead.

Right now, she was the only one certain he was alive.

For one thing, during the initial search, his refrigerator had been unwashed, but bare, with all the appearances of having been cleaned out. The trash was gone, too. When they asked her about it, she shrugged and said, "Probably lived on takeout dinners."

The vast house was tidy, but needed a good scrubbing. Shiho was unnerved by the clear snapshot of Kudou's life that developed by rifling through his home: Top student (As on most tests) and soccer player (several trophies and dirty, damaged balls in various rooms) with an eccentric love of mystery novels (stacks of Sherlock Holmes) and a friend who looked more like a girlfriend (many smiling, close pictures of the pair). Police were impressed enough to take a high schooler's advice (computer and hard copy case files) because of his successful deductions (newspaper clippings). All this evidence of a promising future was covered by a fine layer of dust, like a neglected museum exhibit.

And yet, in today's second search, as the teams wended their way upstairs, past room after unswept room, and returned to the boy's bedroom, Shiho made sure she was the first to inspect his wardrobe. If this had gone untouched, she could write him off as dead and forget him. As soon as she opened the drawer to double-check his childhood clothes, however, she slid it closed, swallowed her panic with a yawn, and parked herself in front of the wardrobe like a bored guard. Based on all her current research, she understood too well why it was empty.

"Are you staying?"

Shiho jumped and spun in her chair to face one of her assistants, Hayashida Ryu, who appeared in the darkened doorway across the room. She spoke to Hayashida, like any of her colleagues, as rarely as possible. Dim security lights shone behind him. "What?"

"If you're staying, you'll have to lock up," Hayashida said, rolling a kink in his shoulder. He pulled on his long, tan overcoat and glanced at her with tired eyes.

"Yes," she said. She turned her back to him and pretended to type.

"Alright, then," he said. As he turned to leave, he muttered to himself, "Bitch."

Shiho ignored it. Hayashida was handsome, in his late 20s, and one of the many coworkers who did not appreciate being bossed around by an antisocial, half-Japanese, teenage girl. It was better this way, anyhow. Friendships and relationships of any kind got people like her into needless trouble, no matter what her sister, Akemi, had to say about their merits.

_No, silly,_ said a nagging voice inside that sounded too much like Akemi. _You're worried it will get them into trouble._

"Maybe," Shiho said aloud, thinking her code name had something to do with it. If sweet sherry masked its potency, she was determined to be as dry a Sherry as possible. But no amount of dryness or bitterness could change the fact that Kudou Shin'ichi's life hung by a single thread placed squarely in her hands.

Just then, her desk phone rang. Shiho knew only one person who would think to call her at this late hour. "_Moshi moshi_."

"Hey, little sis," said Akemi, her voice deep and warm, as always.

"What do you want?" Shiho said, glaring at the receiver.

"Oh, how cold," Akemi teased. A soft laugh sounded on the other line. "Nope, sorry, you're not getting off that easy. How are you?"

"…Fine. You?" Shiho replied, kicking herself for taking too long. That answer would open a can of worms.

"Better than you, sounds like," Akemi said. Shiho could hear a faint car horn in the background which, combined with the wind and general static, suggested her sister was calling from a pay phone. "Care to talk about it?"

Shiho sighed, battling the urge to do just that. Her line was still attached to the research facility; whether she smelled the presence of a fellow organization member or not, there was no way of knowing who could be listening in. "Sorry, I—I can't."

"I understand," Akemi said, sighing with her. A comfortable pause lingered for a brief moment. "Wish I could help."

Shiho leaned back in her mesh chair, crossed her legs, and gazed at the image of Kudou Shin'ichi on her monitor. Frowning again, she murmured, "Big sister, do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?" Akemi, she was sure, knew better than to ask what brought on such questions. Instead, her sister fell silent for some time and let several cars pass before saying, "It depends on what you mean by that. If you're talking about something being doomed to happen, then I'd say no. I believe you carve out your own fate."

Shiho quirked a smile. "Is there another meaning?"

"No matter what we do, our actions affect everyone around us, whether or not we realize it. The girl I just bought coffee from got a smile with my change. I'd like to think it did her some good," said Akemi. Clicks sounded on her end as if she were drumming her fingers on the thick cord. "She could've just been tired after a long day, or she could've been contemplating suicide. I'll probably never know."

"You think too much," Shiho said. Numabuchi Ki'ichiro's face flashed in her memory, giving her insides a twist. Murderer or not, she wondered for a fleeting moment how the fear of her experiments had affected his life and where he was now.

"No, _you_ think too much," Akemi said, though her teasing was gentler this time. "Simply put, we're all connected. Let's just work hard."

"Right," Shiho said, though her restlessness was stronger now.

"Ah, that reminds me!" Akemi said, her voice muffled. Shiho surmised she was digging in her purse for extra coins. "It's been too long since we've met for lunch. Meet me next week or the week after next at the latest. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

"First you tell me to work hard, then you tell me not to work," Shiho said, dryly, though a wider smile spread on her face against her will. "Which is it?"

"Both, little sis. We'll talk soon."

_In other words,_ Shiho thought, _we need to talk soon. _She took a mental note of this. "Be care—take care of yourself, big sister."

"I always do," chirped Akemi. "You do the same, you hear me? _Ja ne_."

"_Ja ne_." Shiho hung up and quieted her racing heartbeat as she moved her cursor for the hundredth time to the radio buttons beneath Kudou Shin'ichi's profile. Only three options presented themselves: _Living_, _Deceased_, and _Unknown_. For Kudou's safety, wherever he was hiding, his status could not remain unknown forever. The choice was irrevocable. It would be tagged with her ID. If he were discovered alive, they would both die.

_But I knew from the start what I wanted to do, didn't I?_

Before she could change her mind, she selected _Deceased_ and saved it.

Shiho attached the list of evidence the team had compiled to support its findings of an abandoned home and school absenteeism, all the while thinking that as much as she hated it, her sister was right. No matter her choice, her life was bound with that of Kudou Shin'ichi. He crossed the organization's path and suffered the effects of her apotoxin; her neck was now on the line because she could not bring herself to kill him on purpose, not for her own safety, not anymore.

As she finished her work and, at last, shut down her computer, Shiho breathed a sigh and thought, _This was pointless. If anything, they'll put us both to an agonizing death._

Removing her lab coat and reaching for her handbag, she smiled a little. _But if big sister has her way, maybe this will do us some good._


	3. Don't Make Me Laugh

**Title:** Don't Make Me Laugh  
**Author:** RanMouri82  
**Friends:** Kudou Shin'ichi/Edogawa Conan and Miyano Shiho/Haibara Ai  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #18 – some advice  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** Aoyama created Shin'ichi and Shiho. I'm a mere slave to their banter. (Published 9/23/2012)

_Don't Make Me Laugh_

"_A day without laughter is a day wasted." – Charlie Chaplin_

Haibara Ai examined the clump of rough grass in her hand and trailed behind Conan, Agasa, and the children as they entered the sprawling petting zoo at Ueno Park. Many goats and sheep roamed over the sunscorched plaza while chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other fuzzy creatures huddled indoors. The Detective Boys' chatter about the hippos and gorillas they saw earlier rose above the voices of other children who pet the bleating sheep with careful, yet sticky fingers. Though Ai took the occasion to fling a verbal barb at the professor, who sneaked a box of cookies while her back was turned during lunch, she fell silent as Ayumi squealed with delight at a pair of lambs and ran toward them, Mitsuhiko and Genta fast at her heels.

"First time here, right?" Conan asked, slowing to a halt beside Ai while Agasa hurried after his younger charges to keep them from plowing into the many families at the zoo. Though Conan and Ai blended into the crowd with his striped polo shirt and her layered tank, in a different light they almost looked their age.

Ai glared at Conan sidelong while her thoughts oozed with sarcasm. Of course she had been to Ueno Zoo. In fact, as a little girl, her guardians in the organization had taken her to dozens of American petting zoos because they had given her lots of free time between lab practicals, and boy, they just loved children. "What do you think?"

"It's simple enough to feed the animals," Conan said, glaring back. He lifted the clump of grass in his fist and led the way to a large sheep, perhaps the lambs' mother. He crouched, angled the long stems toward the sheep's mouth, and said, "Just hold it out to them. They won't bite you."

Watching Conan feed the sheep with keener interest than she would care to admit, Ai spied him chuckle as the sheep munched the grass until his palm was clean.

Conan pulled himself upright and smiled at her. "Try it, Haibara."

Ai shrugged. Glancing at the tangled grasses in her hand, she held it out and started to say, "Not much different than feeding a dog, I guess—"

However, as soon as the sheep nibbled at the food in her hand, Ai shook at the sensation. She pressed her lips together, but no amount of clenching her throat could stifle the giggles that slipped through. At that, she yanked her hand away and wiped off the last few blades of grass stuck to it, ignoring the heat that flamed her cheeks.

Conan arched an eyebrow, but pointed to where the rest of their group had gone to pet the neighboring lambs and said, "The professor and the others are getting ahead of us. We should get moving."

"Right," Ai said, crossing her arms and falling into step behind Conan who, if she was not mistaken, quirked his mouth into a subtle grin. She sighed, knowing that look too well. Of course he figured out why she had reacted that way. If anything, at least he was keeping his mouth shut.

Ayumi rose from where she had been stroking a lamb's short, puffy fleece and waved to Ai as soon as she approached. "Ai-chan, over here!"

"We've got more grass!" chimed in Genta, raising a huge clump of the feed in one fist and dangling a stem behind the sheep's ear with the other.

"Idiot, it won't reach its mouth that way," Conan said, taking more grass from the professor and handing some to Ai.

"I'll pass," Ai said, her answer clipped as she jerked back. The children blinked as one until Mitsuhiko seemed to get an idea and, beaming, took Ai's hand.

"Don't worry, Haibara-san, we've got plenty!" Mitsuhiko said, blushing as he pressed the short grasses from his palm into hers.

Ai's quickening heartbeat thudded in her ears. Her first instinct was to drop the feed altogether, but she realized that she could no longer do that to Mitsuhiko. Maybe when she first met these children, maybe then, she could justify stomping on their hopes to keep her distance, but not now. She glanced at Conan.

Strong eyes sparkled back at her. "Go for it," Conan said. "You're not half bad at this."

With a curt nod, Ai bent toward the sweet little lamb, not sure whether to be more embarrassed about what would soon happen or the fact that she was afraid of it. With a gulp she tried to suppress, she held out her hand—if she could only keep it steady—and watched the sheep start eating for a second until that sensation returned. Fighting it was useless. Her insides quivered again and she clutched her torso as her soft giggles grew, bubbled, and burst into the one sound she never made.

"Oh!" the Detective Boys cried in unison, gaping at Ai. She was laughing!

"I see!" Ayumi said. "Ai-chan is ticklish!"

Agasa chuckled and said, "Come to think of it, you're right. Ai-kun always avoids touching certain things with her feet, probably for the same reason."

Conan stayed by the professor's side and, with a small smile, said nothing.

Unable to stand it any longer and thankful the sheep had finished, Ai wiped her hands and frowned. Though she blushed hotter than the noonday sun, she still had it in her to scowl at Agasa. "I avoid advertising that for a reason."

Genta flashed a toothy smile and said, "Yeah, but that's—"

Mitsuhiko nodded. "It's just—"

Ayumi giggled, tinkling like a bell. "It's so—"

"_Cute!_"

Ai, stunned, found herself glued to the concrete when Ayumi skipped to her side and flung her arms around her neck. The boys gathered around them but had enough sense not to touch their frosty classmate.

"Come on, come on, we're here to pet the animals, remember?" Conan said, lowering his eyelids at the trio as he walked over to them. Grinning, he pointed to a nearby wooden building and added, "The guinea pigs are over there. If you sit down, a worker will put a mat on your lap and bring one over to you."

"Yeah!" The cheering children pumped their fists in the air and bolted.

"W-wait a minute!" Agasa shouted after them, huffing and puffing at the unasked-for exercise.

Ai smirked and followed at a casual pace. It served the professor right. Noticing that Conan lingered by her again, she eyed him warily. "What?"

Conan stuck his hands in his pockets but looked ahead, his expression stern. "You know, it's okay to laugh sometimes."

"Hmph," Ai said, with a grimace, ignoring the tension in her stomach. Over such a simple thing, yet again, Kudou was nudging her where she did not want to go. She shrugged as if she could not care less and replied, "As they say, '_Deru kugi wa utareru. _The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.'"

"If you use that reasoning, by holding back now you stick out more," Conan said, gazing at the children as they reached the building. Ayumi climbed onto a bench between the two boys and gasped as a worker set a brown-spotted guinea pig on her lap. Running her hands along the animal's silky fur, she blushed with sheer joy. "They also say, '_Nana korobi ya oki_. Fall down seven times, get up eight.' I just have to lock them behind bars. You've got to kick them out of your head."

Though Ai was tempted to snap that a person does not _just_ arrest the entire syndicate, as she watched Ayumi kick her legs and giggle freely, she found she had no answer.

"Besides," Conan said, grinning at Ai as he stretched his arms behind his head, "you've got a nice laugh."

Fighting the sudden blush on her own cheeks, Ai shot him a glare, but then smirked and said, "Don't worry. Considering how much you behave like a complete idiot, you'll hear me laugh plenty."

At that moment, Genta cupped his mouth and shouted for Conan and Ai to hurry up while the others tried to shush him in vain. Then, to everyone's alarm, Genta hoisted his squirming guinea pig in the air and struggled with the zookeeper when she tried to take it back. Rubbing his forehead, Conan said, "Let's go before we're kicked out of here."

"Answer for me. I'll pass," Ai said, with a glimmer of a smile. At Conan's frown, she continued, "I'd like to pet the mice. Considering how many of their cousins I've killed over the years, I'd like to make peace with them. Is that allowed?"

"No way I'm giving them that explanation, but sure," Conan said, swinging his arm in a backwards wave as he walked away. "We'll catch up with you."

Laughing softly, Ai turned and walked in the opposite direction. "I'm sure you will."


	4. Encrypted

**Title:** Encrypted  
**Author:** RanMouri82  
**Friends:** Kudou Shin'ichi/Edogawa Conan and Miyano Shiho/Haibara Ai  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #26 – passing notes  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** Aoyama created Shin'ichi and Shiho. I'm a mere slave to their banter. (Published 5/13/2013)

_Encrypted_

Why am I listening to this?

No, seriously, why am I stuck behind the door of Professor Agasa's lab while those two squirts are going at it like an old, married couple? I, Suzuki Sonoko, had much better things to do a minute ago than to call the brat and his weird classmate up to lunch, even if Ran asked me to do it since the professor's got a cold.

Okay, maybe the little girl's hairstyle is cute. But she's still creepy.

As much as I hate to admit it, I was dead wrong when I told Ran that Ai and Conan were taking so long because she was confessing her kiddy love to him. Turns out he's just helping her fix the professor's stupid computer. A prized matchmaker like me can't be right all the time. Still, I can't help but think something's going to happen between those two.

So here I am, practically squatting behind the door of the cramped lab that's super dark because all the lights are off for no good reason. It's true! Nothing's on but the computer! It makes that little girl look like the ghost from Ju-On. Conan, who always tags along with Ran when I want to go shopping or check out guys—just to look, honest!—keeps bickering with her like it's not going to piss her off more.

"You're not helping," Ai says. See? She agrees with me. I knew she was smart for her age.

"Look, Haibara, you ran the anti-virus program and restarted the computer five times already, but the ads are still popping up, and now you can't delete anything," Conan says, sticking his hands in the pockets of his dorky shorts, with his dorky vest and dorky bow tie, and—did I mention he was dorky? "The professor went on one too many unsecured shopping sites. Why don't you get someone to repair it?"

"For the last time, it's because _that_ data's on it. Are you an idiot?" Ai says, snapping at him.

Girl's got a temper, that's for sure. What's she so worried about, anyway? And since when did they give first years—even braniacs like them—computer homework? Maybe they're getting strict with this generation out of a concern for Japan's future. Either way, remind me never to go back to grade school.

"The backup's on several disks and hard drives in a fireproof box, right?" He points off to the side somewhere, not like I can see anything in this dungeon. "If it's the technician you're worried about, I'll check his background first and keep an eye on him."

By background check, I bet he means making his nosy classmates snoop around after school. Those kids are always getting into trouble. Oh well, I don't care as long as I don't have to babysit them.

That answer makes Ai huff and turn back to the computer. Squinting really hard, I check out the screenful of pop-ups, and those ads are not for kids' toys. Let's just say they're more along the lines of that American book, _50 Shades of Grey_. Eww. At least I can tell that fact's flying over their heads since they're not even flinching.

Ai opens a bunch of screens and starts typing, if you can call it typing when somebody punches the keys hard enough to break them into pieces. I know she's smart and all, but the professor should teach her how to be more careful with stuff like that. "Unlike someone else," she says, "I don't rely on the Sherlock Holmes seal of approval."

"Hey, hey! Haibara!" Conan climbs onto the desk and looks pretty worried. Yup, the girl's on self-destruct. That's the other reason I didn't go in. Even though my ankles are getting crazy sore, my miniskirt's riding up, and it's so dusty in here that I want to sneeze my head off, I actually value my life. "I'm not an expert—"

"Exactly."

"—but if you mess around with the system like that, it's going to crash." When Ai's stubby fingers fly everywhere like she knows what she's doing, though I know that can't be possible without her being some sort of alien or secret agent, Conan sighs and says, "You're asking for it."

_Blink!_

Uh oh. Now the screen's neon. And frozen.

Is that what they call the 'blue screen of death'?

"No," Ai moans, dropping her head on the desk. Sounds like she's hitting her forehead against it, too.

Conan scratches his neck and stares at the busted computer for a second, but then he smiles, like he knows something I don't. My first guess is that he figured out one of those crazy codes or puzzles that he—and a certain mystery-freak classmate of mine—love to obsess over.

"Hey, Sonoko-neechan?"

Caught! Dammit!

You know, I hate it when the brat makes me scowl. If you twist your face too much, it'll give you early wrinkles. Hey, I didn't make that up! My mom said so! But I take a breath and slowly step through the doorway. "Yeah, squ—I mean, Conan-kun?"

Ai looks up and turns from him to me and back again, all surprised. Guess she didn't see me there?

"We'll come up for lunch in a minute," he says, plastering a big smirk on his face. That kid is so smug sometimes, just like—ugh, never mind. "Tell the professor he's buying a new computer, okay?"

At that, I nod and smirk right back. Aside from the obvious fact that the girl can't work to pay for it, it was Professor Agasa's fault. Heck, I go on shopping sites all the time—just to browse—and I've never had that problem. "On it."

As I turn to leave, though, Ai leans her head on her hand and sighs, and I swear, it's with her whole body, like she's letting the weight of the world roll off it. Wonder what's up with her sometimes.

Conan catches her eye, and then I get it. It's not a code, after all. It's simple, like those times Ran and I can understand each other without saying a word. To me, this weird little girl's a mystery, but not to him. He knows she'll be okay.

From the outside, it looks pretty amazing.

She smiles at him. "Right. Thanks."

And now she knows it, too.


End file.
